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Functional Materials Design
Curriculum Characteristics
The characteristics of the Applied Chemistry program’s Functional Materials Design course are described below.
Specialized fundamental courses (common to all four courses)
A group of specialized fundamental courses provides the foundation for later study in each course of study’s specialized courses. Along with Fundamental Analysis I/II and Linear Algebra I/II, Mathematics Seminar I/II fosters a basic foundation in mathematics. In Physics I/II and Physics Seminar I/II, students learn about mechanics and electromagnetics, and they conduct physics experiments in Fundamental Physics Experimentation. They learn how about quantum theory in Quantum Physics. Chemistry I/II provides a bridge from chemistry fundamentals to physical chemistry. Then students study thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, equilibrium and electrochemistry, statistical dynamics, and reaction kinetics in Physical Chemistry I/II/III and the Physical Chemistry Seminar. Furthermore, they conduct chemistry experiments in the Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry I/II, Chemical Engineering I, Polymer Chemistry, and Biology I/II course group as well as in Fundamental Chemistry Experimentation while engaging in a comprehensive study that spans the entire discipline of chemistry in order to lay the groundwork for their future study in the Applied Chemistry’s program’s four courses of study.
Students also learn how to use information tools and study the underlying mechanisms in the Information Processing Seminar and in International Scholarship Information. Other offerings include Fundamental Biology Experimentation A, Earth Science I/II, and Earth Science Experimentation.
Course specialization
As a course that is common to all four courses of study, Introduction to Applied Chemistry I shifts the focus to explaining what students will study in each course. In Introduction to Applied Chemistry II, students focus on what kind of research they will conduct in the four graduate programs after they complete the Applied Chemistry program. In Applied Chemistry Experimentation I, they take a “relay” approach to carrying out specialized experiments that are directly related to the research topics explored in each of the four courses. In Applied Chemistry Experimentation II and the Course Seminar, they conduct specialized experiments that are unique to each course and participate in seminars.
In Biochemistry I/II/III, students study the chemistry of life as it relates to topics such as biomolecule structure and function, the storage and use of energy in cells, and the transfer and manifestation of genetic information. In the Organic Chemistry Seminar, they deepen their understanding of key concepts in organic chemistry. They also learn about methods for designing chemical and bio-processes in Chemical Engineering II and Biochemical Engineering. In Chemistry of Functional Molecules I, they study primarily how to conduct biochemical research about biomolecules. In Chemistry of Functional Molecules II, they learn spectroscopic and electrochemical methods for analyzing the function and structure of molecules. In Applied Analytical Chemistry, they study topics including methods of instrumental analysis, particularly electrochemical analysis, separation analysis, and spectroscopic analysis, as well as how to process data statistically. In Biomolecular Engineering, they study the fundamental knowledge of genetic engineering and protein engineering and its application.
Fourth-year students conduct graduation research that serves as the culmination of their four years of undergraduate study.
